Made For Each Other
by KaramelKat
Summary: Their lives have been entwined since the beginning. She is his. He is hers. They belong together. They were made for each other.
1. Chapter 1

_All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

**1989**

Leah's tiny dark head popped out of her room as she peered down the hallway. The commotion of laughter and conversation floated up the stairs to the second floor, from the living room of her family's home. She had been told to stay in her room, but the noise from below was telling her to do otherwise. The adults were having a good time with whatever they were doing, and it was like an open invitation for her curiosity to be quenched. She intended to eavesdrop and find out what was going on.

Her worn, white and pink blanket, "Blankie", dragged a trail behind her, one corner clutched in a fist that never let go of it. It was Leah's source of constant comfort and most prized item, never far out of reach when she needed it for naptime, watching afternoon cartoons in front of the television or riding in the car. She cried anytime her mom put it in the washing machine in an attempt to brighten the blanket from the dingy gray color it collected daily on the white trim.

Leah paused, sitting her butt down on the top step, clutching the railing with her free hand as she leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the room below. There were lots of ladies down there with her mom. A few of them she recognized, like her Mom's friends Sarah and Connie. There were some she knew from around the neighborhood, but there were a lot whom she didn't know. Mixed with the Native American women were a bunch of pale-faced women in the Clearwater home, which wasn't a typical sight.

"So what are you going to name the baby?" Leah's ears finally picked out a piece of the conversations that were happening below.

"Ah! Joy you said baby! Give me a clothespin!" A blonde woman made a beckoning motion with her fingers.

Leah scooted down another step, ducking her head, craning to see more people around the edge of ceiling and wall that partially obscured her view of the living room below. She caught a glimpse of a brown hand passing a clothespin to the blonde who clipped it to a string around her neck.

"We were thinking of Jared or Jamie for a boy, and Jacqueline for a girl." Leah couldn't see who spoke the words, but the woman who said it had a nice, pleasant voice.

"Oh those are nice!" Joy Ateara moved into Leah's line of sight. She recognized her from the neighborhood. "It's good to have a choice for names. Quil and I talked about what we'd pick if we had a ba- er got pregnant." There was some laughter as she almost said the b-word. "I'm going to talk him into breaking the chain of Quils if I can. Four should be plenty right?"

"Joy you need to have a girl, not a boy. It's the boys who inherit the name," Sarah laughed.

"Well I want to know what you have been putting in the water out here," commented the blonde woman who had taken Joy's clothespin. She chuckled as she said, "Not just your being pregnant Nancy, but Sarah, you too. And Linda's still out on maternity leave with her new son Paul."

"We had a cold spring this year Laura," Sue Clearwater joked. "If it's the water, I guess you'll find out nine months from now?"

"Oh I don't need to add to my brood thanks. Three is a handful."

"I thought you only had two kids Laura."

"My husband Gerald is the big kid."

The women started to laugh. What was so funny, Leah didn't really understand, but it was fun to watch. She vaguely remembered this was supposed to be some kind of party that her mom kept referring to as a shower, but none of the adults were in the bathtub, so she didn't know why it was called that.

"Open another gift Nancy!"

Leah watched as a very fat, belly-swollen Nancy Cameron pulled the ribbon off of a gift. Her mom passed the ribbon off to Sarah who was taping them down onto a paper plate that was loaded with other ribbons. Once the box was open, the women exclaimed over the gift inside, oohing and aahing over tiny baby clothes called "onesies".

There were several gifts like that. Leah scooted down another step, staring longingly at the gifts that Nancy got to open. She wished she could be the one tearing into the paper. She wanted to rip off the ribbons and bows, although the adults were being more careful with them than she would have been. It looked like fun.

The gifts themselves were boring. She was going to be three, a big girl as her mom would tell her. The stuff Nancy revealed with each gift - the diapers, the bottles and bassinets – were long gone for Leah, replaced by a potty seat, sippy cups and a toddler bed. There were blankets and other items too, but none of the blankets were as great as her Blankie.

Leah's butt shifted down one more step, nearly halfway to the bottom with each tiny shuffle she took, following her curiosity down. There was some kind of weird game being played while the presents were opened, because every time a woman said the word "baby" she would have to give up a clothespin from the string around her neck. The blonde woman Laura seemed to have the most pins.

"Do you know what you're having yet Sarah? And is it twins again?" Joy paused beside the other pregnant woman.

"We find out next month," Sarah smiled up at Joy and then groaned, "Definitely not twins again, for which I am thankful. Rachel and Rebecca like to challenge me into being two places at once, both of them getting into things they shouldn't."

Leah perked up at the mention of Rachel and Rebecca. They came over to play sometimes. Rachel didn't share toys like their moms told them to, so Leah didn't like her as much as Rebecca. Rebecca was quieter than Rachel. She wondered why their mom hadn't brought them over to play while the shower/party was going on.

"Billy took the girls fishing with Charlie today so I could have a break. I feel sorry for the men, but two can actually handle it better than one lil' ole me." Once more, the women were cracking up over something Leah didn't really understand. Rebecca and Rachel were fishing. Her lower lip stuck out in a pout. She didn't know what fishing was, but it sounded fun.

Nancy finished opening the gifts. Once they were done, Sue and Sarah tied a "ribbon hat" (the paper plate with ribbons) onto her head with string, amidst more laughter as pictures were taken. Leah wanted a hat too. She forgot all about Rachel, Rebecca, and fishing, because the ribbon hat was more important. With the pale-colored star bows and curly cue ribbons, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She wanted one too.

She voiced her desire out loud.

"Mommy I want a pretty hat too!" Heads swiveled around at the sound of her voice from the stairs. The faces that stared at Leah varied in expressions of amused and confused. She stood up, her blanket still trailing her tiny pajama clad figure as she clung to the railing for support, taking the last steps that would bring her down into the hallway.

"Leah sweetie what are you doing out of your bed?" Sue swept into the hallway, picking Leah up easily. Leah clung to her mother, her fingers going to her mouth, picking at the dry skin on her lips, suddenly nervous. All eyes were on her and her mom. Leah's voice got quieter as she repeated, "I want a pretty hat too."

Sue turned, addressing the living room. "I'm sorry everyone. Harry was supposed to take her out with the guys fishing, but she had an ear ache this morning." There were sympathetic noises from all the women in the room at her announcement.

"If you'll excuse me a moment-"

"I can take her up for you Sue."

Leah recognized the shy, quiet voice that had piped up from a corner of the living room. She hadn't seen Tiffany because the young girl was sitting in a chair not easily seen from the stairs. The moment she spotted Tiffany, she began to wriggle in her mom's arms, dropping her blanket in the process.

"Leah," Sue tried to hold on to her daughter, but finally put her down to avoid making a scene over nothing.

Leah made a beeline for Tiffany. She heard some laughter and a few of the pale-faced women were exclaiming over her appearance at her mother. "Look at how long her lashes are. Your daughter is such a beautiful little girl Sue."

"Tiff!" Leah latched onto Tiffany's leg as she stood up slowly, her own stomach protruding, but not nearly as pronounced as the recipient of the shower, Nancy.

Leah liked Tiffany Call. Her mother and a few of the women on the reservation had given Tiffany small jobs as a babysitter when she had moved to the Quileute reservation from Makah a few months ago. Tiffany would come take care of Leah on the days when her Mom had a long shift at the hospital and her Dad was also working.

"Come on Little Bit," Tiffany took Leah's hand, shuffling with her to the steps. Leah paused to grab her blanket, not aware of the stares that Tiffany was getting as she and the toddler passed through the group of women.

"Thanks Tiffany," Sue gave the young girl a grateful glance for her assistance. As hostess of the shower, she should be there at all times. It was unfortunate that her daughter had gotten sick the same day, but she wouldn't be a mother if she wasn't juggling hosting a baby shower with the needs of her family.

"No problem. It won't be long before I'll be doing this on my own." Tiffany smiled briefly at Sue before leading Leah upstairs.

At the top of the stairs, Leah heard whispering accompany their departure. She tried to make out what the women were so quiet and excited about, but their voices didn't carry enough for her to hear them properly. She leaned back to listen, but was distracted as she caught sight of the ribbon hat once more.

Leah tugged on Tiffany's hand in her own. When the older girl turned her dark eyes upon the toddler, she reminded, "Ribbon hat."

Tiffany's lips tugged up into a smile. "We'll make you a hat Monday afternoon okay?"

"Okay!" Leah agreed, smiling back in response. She loved playing games with Tiffany when she came over. She let Tiffany lead her up to her room.

"So Little Bit," Tiffany scooped her up and deposited her on the bed. "Not feeling well?"

Leah tugged on her ear, wincing and pouting at the pain of touching it. "My ear," her lower lip quivered as she looked at Tiffany.

"You have to stay in bed to get better. Especially if we're going to make ribbon hats on Monday," Tiffany informed her, pulling the covers back on her bed.

Leah crawled in to the empty spot on her bed. She didn't lie down right away, instead turning to face Tiffany. "You shower?"

"What?" Tiffany reached for Leah's pink and white blanket, smoothing it out next to the little girl.

Leah frowned, focusing on getting the words right. "You have shower too?" she asked. She pointed at Tiffany's pregnant belly to try to get her meaning across better.

"Oh!" Tiffany's eyes lit up in understanding. "No. Not yet Leah. It's too early yet."

"Can I come?" Leah looked up from beneath her lashes at Tiffany, anticipation lingering in her gaze for a positive answer.

Tiffany slowly pulled the comforter over Leah. She sat down next to her on the bed, carefully arranging her stomach to a comfortable position. "I'm not sure I'll have a shower Little Bit. But if I do, you can be there." She reached out to sweep Leah's bangs to the side of her forehead.

"Why?" Leah asked plainly.

Tiffany gave her a measured look that Leah was too young to discern. "Well Little Bit, I just moved here so nobody really knows me. Showers are usually given by your friends and family for you."

Leah frowned. Tiffany sounded a bit sad as she spoke. Not wanting her to be sad, Leah spoke up quickly, insisting, "You're family."

Tiffany's smile was wry, but Leah thought she must have succeeded in making her happy, because she was smiling. "That's sweet of you to say Little Bit." Tiffany's voice didn't sound as if she believed Leah so the little girl determined she was going to prove it to her.

Leah had seen all the gifts Nancy had gotten. She knew what a baby needed, had seen it for her own eyes downstairs. Slowly Leah pulled her pink and white blanket from beneath the covers. "Here," she offered it out to Tiffany. She wanted to stuff the blanket back under the sheets with her – tears pricked her eyes at the thought of not having her Blankie with her – but the baby needed a blanket more than she did. Nancy had gotten several blankets. Tiffany had none. Leah was going to fix that.

"Leah?" Tiffany took the offered blanket, looking confused by the gift.

"For your baby," Leah swallowed around the lump in her throat. She was a big girl. Big girls didn't need blankets. Babies did. She wanted to cry. She didn't feel like a big girl. She wanted her blanket back.

Tiffany pressed her lips together, understanding the seriousness of Leah's offer. She didn't want to laugh as she watched the sweet little girl she had grown to love, fight back tears for the sacrifice of her favorite possession. "Are you sure you want to give your Blankie up Leah?"

Was she? Leah's fingers stretched out, willing her to snatch the blanket back into the comfort of her own arms. She missed it already and it was right in front of her. She glanced up at Tiffany and back down to her belly. The baby needed it. She didn't.

"Uh huh," Leah nodded her head, swallowing around the thickness of her throat closing up as the finality of her decision hit her.

Tiffany could see the struggle going on within Leah. She couldn't let this little girl go on thinking her blanket was gone forever anymore. She opened her mouth to decline, but let out a gasp of surprised air as she felt the first tiny thump of movement from within.

"Tiff?" Leah crawled out of the covers looking as alarmed as Tiffany felt. The eighteen year old was hunched over, her hands clutching her belly, startled by that very first kick. She had felt tiny flutters; prior to this moment, it had been explained to her that the baby was moving, but nothing completely solid like what just happened.

Leah patted her arms, "Tiff?" Her big, dark eyes were lined with worry.

"It's okay Little Bit," Tiffany reassured her. "The baby kicked me." She rubbed her stomach, waiting to see if it happened again.

Leah frowned, her eye moving down to Tiffany's baby belly. "No kicking," she scolded.

"I don't think it can help it," Tiffany let out a laugh. "Let's see if it does it again." She reached out to take hold of Leah's hand, placing it at the spot where the baby had kicked last.

Tiffany watched Leah who was watching the belly until a minute later they both felt a solid thump once more. Leah squealed, scuttling backwards in excitement and almost falling off the bed. Tiffany had to catch hold of her pajama leg to stop her.

"Wow!" Leah scooted back closer to Tiffany and placed both hands on the same spot. It was a few more minutes until the baby did it again and once more Leah squealed in delight.

"She likes me!" Leah beamed up at the older girl.

"How do you know it's a girl?" Tiffany giggled and rubbed the spot.

"Cause she's my friend." Leah's tiny hand splayed across the belly again. They both held their hands in place, breaths anxiously held for another kick, but the baby had quieted down.

"And what if it's a boy?"

Leah made a face that Tiffany wanted to laugh at. "No. It's a girl," she announced a moment later as if the fact were certain. She glanced down at her pink and white blanket and felt a bit better that she was going to give her new friend, her old best friend. They could play together once the baby got out of Tiffany.

Her eyes widened as she realized something.

"How she come out?" Leah tapped Tiffany's belly.

Tiffany's face turned an interesting shade of red for her already bronze colored skin. "You should really ask your mom that Little Bit. Sue knows everything." She patted the empty space that Leah had abandoned in the bed. "Come on. Back in bed."

"Yeah," Leah agreed. She lay back in the bed again and yawned as Tiffany pulled the covers over her. "Tiff?" She reached out to take her sitter's hand before she could walk out of her bedroom.

"Mmhmm?" Tiffany looked down in concern.

"My b-her Blankie." Leah held out the pink and white blanket towards Tiffany with her free hand.

"I'll make sure we take good care of it for you Little Bit," Tiffany promised, taking the blanket and draping it over her arm.

"Mmmkay," Leah agreed sleepily. Her fingers squeezed Tiffany's hand, the baby choosing to kick again at the same moment, before the little girl let go and rolled over to get more comfortable in her bed.

Tiffany Call stayed to watch a few more minutes before slowly exiting the room and quietly shutting the door on her way out.

***

A few months later Tiffany had a little baby boy. Less than a week after her release from the hospital, Sue and Leah appeared on the doorstep of her tiny house with balloons and well wishes.

"Hi Sue," Tiffany's smile was weary, when she opened the door. Sue recognized that look, having worn it herself in the months following Leah's birth.

"Where's the baby?" Leah's high pitched excitement couldn't be contained as she scampered past Tiffany into the house.

"Leah!" Sue admonished her quietly. "Take off your hat inside the house and be quiet. The baby might be sleeping." She turned to Tiffany saying, "I've got some casseroles and other things out in the van from the other ladies. Joy and Sarah had to work or they'd be here with me. "

Tears started to well up in Tiffany's eyes. She immediately put her hands to her face, her cheeks blushing with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she apologized around the tears, "I don't know why I'm crying. I can't thank you enough for all your help." Sue and the other ladies had taken her under their wing when she arrived on the reservation. They had helped her with the paperwork for housing and living assistance as well as providing valuable advice through her pregnancy.

"Oh honey," Sue's voice was filled with understanding. She pulled Tiffany into a hug. The girl was barely nineteen years old, struggling on her own while her family was far away. "We all cry. It's the hormones." She stroked the younger girl's back until she calmed down.

"Let's go see that beautiful baby boy of yours," Sue's gentle voice washed over Tiffany as she pulled back and wiped at her eyes. She let out a tiny laugh and nodded her head. Tiffany led her back to the tiny spare bedroom of the house.

"Leah!" Sue hissed quietly upon entering the room. Her daughter was attempting to climb the bars of the crib and look down upon the little baby sleeping there. "Get down from there!" She plucked her daughter off the bars, sweeping her multi-hued toboggan off her head in the process and stuffing it into her jacket pocket. "Let's get your coat off."

"But I want to see her," Leah whined, her voice louder than the adults.

"Him," Tiffany corrected. She stepped over to the crib and gently lifted the sleeping baby out of the crib. "I had a boy, Leah." She cradled him in her arms and nuzzled his tiny little nose as he slept.

They moved back out to the living room. Leah squirmed the whole way, trying to get a peek at the baby. Sue set her down in the living room, removing her coat and draping it over the back of the couch. "Leah, keep your voice down sweetie. I've got to go get some things out of the van. Tiffany will show you the baby while I'm in and out."

Sue headed out the front door. Tiffany sat gently down upon the couch. Leah clambered onto a cushion next to her. She knelt, checking out the white and pink wrapped bundle in Tiffany's arms. "You sure not a girl?" Leah glanced up at Tiffany, her lower lip stuck out stubbornly.

"This is Embry," Tiffany said with a smile. She drew back the blanket to show him off.

Leah tilted her head, staring at the baby. He had light, tan colored skin. His eyes were closed, long lashes fanning across his smooth, round cheeks. Embry wasn't very big to Leah, but he was bigger than her baby dolls at home.

"Check out that full head of hair on him," Sue's voice caused them both to look up. She had her arms full of casserole dishes, but paused to look at the baby on her way to the kitchen. "He's so beautiful, Tiffany." The baby did indeed have thick, dark black hair all over his head.

Tiffany smiled. Leah hovered over the baby, looking down at Embry. He stirred in his sleep, his mouth opening in a yawn and closing. He nestled closer towards the warmth of Tiffany. Tiffany ran her fingers over his head, touching him in awe. She still couldn't believe he was finally there.

"Is he gonna wake up?" Leah sat back on her cushion with a thump of disappointment. She had been so excited to see her new friend, but boys must not be as fun as girls because so far Embry hadn't done anything at all.

"He will soon," Tiffany said. She chuckled at the impatience she saw on Leah's face. "How about we get a drink of juice and when he wakes up you can hold him with my help?"

"Can I?" Leah perked up at that news.

"With my help," Tiffany reminded.

Leah nodded. She got her juice and checked constantly for any signs of the baby waking up. While she waited, her mother finished bringing in the things from the van. Sue held the sleeping baby, causing Leah to pout at the unfairness that she was considered too little to hold Embry while he was asleep. Her mother and Tiffany talked about what the baby would do, could do and also about Tiffany's family. They weren't things that interested Leah.

"Oh," Sue glanced down as the baby began to move and stretch, "I think he's waking up."

That garnered her attention. Leah hopped off the couch and hurried to her mother's chair, crowding close. "I wanna see," she demanded, reaching for the bundle he was wrapped in.

"Be gentle with him Leah," her mother's voice reminded her. Sue lowered the baby within her range of sight.

Leah peered at Embry. He stared back at Leah, his dark eyes huge and unable to focus like most babies.

"Do you want to hold him?" Tiffany asked. Leah glanced at Tiffany, nodding her head. Tiffany patted her lap.

Leah left her mom's side, climbing up to sit in Tiffany's lap. "Make your arms like this," Tiffany held her small arms out in a giant circle. "Keep them like that, Leah."

Sue stood up and moved over to place baby Embry into Leah's lap. "Leah sweetie you have to support his head." Between Tiffany and her mom, Leah soon had the baby lying across her, his neck under her arm, which was resting on Tiffany's arm.

Leah felt her chest swell with happiness. "I got him!" She informed both Tiffany and her mom who were grinning at the two of them. She looked back down at Embry. "You s'posed to be a girl," Leah informed him of his mistake. His dark eyes got wider at her words and Leah knew he was sorry for not coming out the right gender.

She didn't notice Tiffany lifting her head and smiling as Sue snapped photos of them with a disposable camera. Leah was watching Embry, who in turn was watching her.

"It's okay you're a boy, Embry," she said a moment later, leaning down to place a kiss on his cheek, "You can still be my friend."


	2. Chapter 2

September 1994

"The doors on the bus go open and shut, open and shut, open and shut," Sue Clearwater sang as she drove. From the backseat, in his car chair, Seth Clearwater piped in the words he knew - humming when he didn't - to the tune of the cassette the family was listening to. "Open and shut," his clear, cheerful voice rang out in the confines of their mini-van.

Seven year old Leah Clearwater had her arms folded together, her lips sealed shut. She refused to participate in the sing-a-long – it was a baby song – even if her foot was tapping along in time with the rhythm of the melody. She wouldn't be caught dead singing to that on the first day of school, especially since her mom was turning into the drop off at the school, the doors about to open and let her out of the van. She started to unbuckle her seat belt.

Sue stopped singing long enough to remind, "Wait until the car is stopped Leah before taking that belt off."

Leah let out a puff of exasperated air. "Mo-o-om," her voice lodged her complaint with a whine as she asked, "Can you turn off the song? My friends will hear it."

"Nooooooo!" Seth shrieked.

"Honey, your brother likes this music," Sue stepped on the brake, waiting her turn in line to drop Leah off.

"It's baby music."

"Not a baby!" Seth protested, throwing his stuffed monkey at Leah.

"It's no different than your Little Mermaid phase, Leah."

"Little Mermaid is way cooler than Wheels on the Bus, Mom."

The van moved forward one car space as another unloaded their kid ahead of them. "Leah, remember to be out here right after school. Tiffany will be picking you and the boys up."

"I know Mom," Leah's tone held that 'duh I'm not stupid' tone. She unbuckled her belt, only two cars left.

"You have Ms. Chatham this year, Room B. Remember to put all the reminders in the front pocket of your book bag for me."

"I know Mom."

"I know you know, but I'm going to tell you anyway." Sue pulled up to the drop off and turned in her seat, facing her daughter. "Now give me a hug good-bye."

Leah stood up from her seat, shaking her head at her mom. "Ick, no. Everyone will see." Everyone being Mr. Poole, the lone teacher from the high school part of the tribal school, who volunteered his time helping parents unload and load their kids from the drop-off and pick-ups.

"Hug me now Leah or we get out of this car, I walk you to your class and your friends get to see me hugging and kissing all over you missy," Sue's voice held the mom threat that promised to fulfill what she intended.

Leah huffed. Her family could be really embarrassing. She reached forward between the two front seats and hugged her mom, who in turn placed a kiss on her cheek. "Have a good first day of second grade sweetie."

Mr. Poole opened the side van door greeting, "Morning Sue! Good morning Leah."

"Morning John," Sue answered back. Leah leapt out of the door, holding on to the straps of her backpack so that it wouldn't slide off her shoulders. "Morning Mr. Poole," she muttered as she passed under him.

"Lee-lee?" Seth called out as his sister walked towards the front door of the school. "LEE-LEE!" He let out a howl, just as Mr. Poole shut the door to the van, cutting off his hysterical cry. It was up to Sue to explain to her son why his sister was going somewhere without them. They had been through the same situation the prior spring semester, although after a few weeks Seth had settled into the routine of his sister's daily absence, with no tears. Apparently the summer months had spoiled him into forgetting.

Leah marched into the school, feeling very excited for the year to come. She had a new, bright yellow, Beauty and the Beast backpack with matching lunch pail. She had on new school clothes because she had outgrown her others and even the hand-me-downs from Rachel and Rebecca's mom were too short on her. Her mom had taken her shopping, trying to find jeans long enough to fit her tall, gangly figure.

She was in second grade, moving up out of the old classroom of kindergarten and first graders, and into the 2nd and 3rd grade room. Leah was looking forward to being in the same classroom with Rachel and Rebecca Black again. The twins were a year ahead of her. The tribal elementary school was a small building next to the high school, the student body volume low enough to warrant one teacher for multiple grades.

On her way to her new classroom she peered around the door of Class A, her old classroom. "Hello Miss James!" Leah called out waving to her brunette teacher from the past two years, when she spotted the woman helping other children find their desks in the room.

"Hi Leah," Miss James waved back at her with a smile. "Don't be late for class." Leah admired Miss James who always made class interesting. She didn't just teach out of a book, but came up with interactive games that helped her class better remember their lessons. Leah also liked Miss James' fingernails – she had the nicest hands she'd ever seen on a woman, always painting her nails a different color every week – something Miss James had once confessed was her weekly splurge on herself.

"I won't be late!" Leah promised, turning around. She came nose to nose with a familiar boy. Her smile left her face, replaced by a scowl. "Rogers," she didn't even want to acknowledge him with a greeting, but he wouldn't have moved out of her way otherwise.

The first grader could easily pass for a third grader; Davey Rogers was a husky boy with spikey black hair and blue eyes that stood out in the swarthy dark skin of his face. He was a burly mix of his Caucasian father, who was big enough to have played linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, and his mom, a woman with mixed Quileute, Makah, Chinook and Kalapuya blood. He was also a mean little kid – a bully who liked to use his size to take the toys from other kids during recess and playtime. She was extremely glad to be away from his class this year.

"Haha Murky Mudwater, are you so dumb, you got stuck back a year?"

Leah gritted her teeth and tried to remain calm in the face of his insult and that hated nickname he had given her last year. "No." She side stepped away from him, wanting to get out of Davey's annoying presence before she suffocated in it.

He was wearing an arrogant smirk as he crossed into Miss James' room. Leah frowned at his back and then headed towards Room B across the hall. She sincerely hoped that her new teacher would seat her towards the middle of the room so she would never have to see Davey walk past the classroom door at all.

"Leah!" She heard her name called by two similar voices at the same time. She spun towards the sound, smiling at the sight of two identical girls -dressed in different outfits. The three of them suddenly squealed in delight at seeing each other and sprinted forward. They formed a circle of joined hands and wrists.

"Girls! You three are in school and you just saw each other yesterday. There is no need to make noises like wild animals." Sarah Black's voice scolded from behind them.

"Sorry Mom." Rebecca was always the first to apologize. Leah and Rachel echoed her sentiment. Leah hoped that their mom wouldn't call her mom and tell on her for being loud like that. It wasn't likely that Sarah would say anything though, because she was distracted by holding the hands of two young boys. One was Jacob, Rachel and Rebecca's younger brother and the other was his friend Embry Call, Tiffany's son.

It was the boys' first year to go to school, joining the kindergarten class. Jake was bouncing on the balls of his feet, trying to let go of his mother's hand as he pointed at the door Leah had just left. "There it is Mom!"

Embry, shyer and quieter than Jake, stuck close to Sarah's side. His eyes met Leah's when she looked at the boys. She gave Embry an encouraging smile. Of the two, he was more reserved in new situations. She knew him well because her mom , his mom, Jake's mom and Quil's mom would swap babysitting duties for a few hours every day. Usually she and Seth, Rachel, Rebecca and Jake, along with Embry and Quil would end up together at someone's house to play together.

Over time the group knew everything about each other. Quil had a scar on his shin where he split it open jumping from a dresser to Jake's bed one afternoon. Rachel was always the "Mom" when playing house together, perfect for her bossy nature. Jake always wore his green and purple Hulk pajamas during sleepovers. Rebecca and Embry both liked to sit back, observing things quietly until they were ready to join in with the group activities. Leah liked playing with puzzles and she really loved organizing team games. Sometimes they fought – petty arguments that the parents might get involved in – but for the most part they were all friends.

"Girls you need to get into class before the bell rings. Jake and Embry, you come with me," Sarah began to guide the boys away. "You two will see the girls after school. Embry's mom is picking you all up."

"Come on Leah! You can sit near us," Rachel tugged on Leah's arm, pulling her towards their joint classroom.

"Bye Embry, bye Jake," Leah gave them a tiny wave as Sarah led them away. "Have fun in kindergarten!" She turned to go into Classroom B with the twins.

-WPWPWPWPWPWPWPWPWPWP-

The rest of the day was a blur of introductions, seat assignments and class expectations. Leah didn't like that Miss Chatham divided the room directly in half by grades, placing her on the far wall near the windows. There were two whole rows of seats between her and the Black Twins in 3rd grade. Had the teacher mixed the classes like Miss James did in her class, she could have sat directly behind the two.

Other than that, she was pretty happy with her first day. Leah rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited for Tiffany to come pick them all up. Rachel and Rebecca were asking Jake and Quil how their day had gone. Leah glanced at Embry who was looking down at his feet. His lower lip was tucked into his mouth, his teeth worrying on it.

She knew that look. He only chewed on his lip when he was scared or upset over something. Leah stopped rocking long enough to nudge his shoulder with her elbow and ask, "Hey, how was your first day Embry?"

"Fine," Embry's monosyllabic answer and the flat tone of his voice was a complete contrast to his words.

"Did something happen?" Leah tilted her head watching him.

"No," Embry answered after a moment. His eyes didn't lift from the ground to meet hers.

Something wasn't right. Jacob and Quil were chattering excitedly about everything that had happened to them that day in school. Embry wasn't even watching them or paying any attention to their words, waiting for a chance to chime in. It was like he was lost in his own world.

"You know you can tell me if you don't like school," Leah tried again, wanting to find out what was wrong so she could cheer him up.

"I like school!" Embry scuffed the ground with his worn sneaker, emphasizing his burst of words. He finally glanced up at Leah at his outburst and she nodded, trying to get him to continue but he clammed up again.

"It's nothing," he mumbled, looking back down at the ground.

Leah was going to ask again, but Tiffany pulled up in their old van, honking the horn. The group piled into their seats, Rachel and Rebecca arguing over who got the front seat as the older ones. "Lee-Lee!" Seth cried out from his car seat in the second row, happy to see his sister again.

Leah sat in the seat next to Seth's. Quil, Jake, and Embry buckled themselves into the bench seat in the back. Leah glanced back at Embry but he stayed quiet the entire trip back to his home. She didn't get the opportunity to bring up what was bothering him, but she finally decided it must be first day jitters and left it at that.

-WPWPWPWPWP-

Embry grew more quiet and withdrawn as the school week passed. Leah could tell he was still upset - she had always been more in tune with his body language than the others in their play group. His shining brown eyes lacked their usual warmth and curiosity. He was always quieter, but now he was too quiet, his posture rigid as he approached the school doors. She tried to get him to confess what was wrong, but he would never tell her.

It was during the third week of school that she finally figured out what was wrong with him. It was Jacob who spilled the beans after she cornered him about it.

"It's Davey Rogers! He's been calling Embry names and threatening to put his head in the toilet at school!"

Leah instantly saw red. She had put up with Davey's taunts and torment the year prior, but that was her, she could ignore him and forget he existed now that she was in a different class. But her friends were a different matter. If he was terrorizing her friends, there was no way she could let that bully get away with it any longer.

"What names Jake?"

"He used a bad word," Jake shook his head, "Mom said it's a very bad word."

"What word?"

When Jake told her what Davey had said, Leah wished she was at school with Davey right then – she'd have kicked and punched him. She'd heard that word used about Embry before – a slander against the fact he didn't have a father around. The first time she'd heard it and repeated it back to Tiffany, she had cried when Tiffany explained why it wasn't a good word.

The next week at school, Leah appreciated her window seat. She had a good view of the playground from her chair and when Classroom A went out for recess, she could keep her eye on Embry. She wanted to see for herself what was going on.

For the first few days, she watched Embry, Jake and Quil chase each other around, playing and goofing off like they normally did. She didn't see Davey approach any of them. Ms. Chatham also caught her looking out the window and she was given two marks under the behavior board which meant she wouldn't earn a gold star this week for outstanding behavior.

It was on Thursday that she saw Davey approach Embry and push him off the swing. Immediately Leah looked to see if Miss James was watching them, but she was distracted putting a Band-Aid on another kid. Leah immediately turned and shot her hand in the air.

"Ms. Chatham!" Leah waved her hand around so that the teacher would take notice. Not that her teacher would have missed the urgency in her tone.

"What is it Leah?" Ms. Chatham turned around from the chalk board where she was posting the third grade math lesson.

"Outside, Davey Rogers just pushed Embry Call off the swings!" Leah gestured towards the window. "Miss James wasn't watching them!"

"But you were looking out the window again instead of paying attention to your reader, Leah?" Ms. Chatham's voice was full of reprimand. Leah grew quiet underneath her scolding gaze. "That's another mark for you."

Some of her classmates tittered nervously at Leah's misfortune, which caused Ms. Chatham's steely-eyed gaze to swing to them as well, quieting them immediately.

"But Ms. Chatham-"

"Eyes back on your reader Leah. Let Miss James take care of her students. You're the student not the teacher."

Leah felt her heart sink into her stomach. Ms. Chatham didn't understand what a horrible little troll Davey Rogers was. The teacher was going to get a very nasty surprise next year when he moved up to her class. Leah dropped her eyes to her paper, a frown set upon her lips. She couldn't focus on solving the math number patterns in her workbook. She was too upset by what she had seen.

Someone needed to take care of Davey Rogers. Her grip tightened on her pencil, threatening to break it in half. If the teachers weren't going to do it, then Leah decided someone needed to take care of him – even if it had to be her. The thought of taking Davey Rogers on scared her, but what scared Leah more was that he was hurting her friend and nobody was doing anything about it.

-WPWPWPWPWPWPWPWP-

Leah carried the bag of trash down the hallway. Ms. Chatham assigned a student each day to take the trash out after class. Today was her day to take it to the dumpster in the back of the school. Rachel and Rebecca had already headed out to the front of the school to meet the boys. Quil's mom would be picking them up today.

She wrinkled her nose at the smell of the dumpster as she lifted the lid and then tossed the lightweight bag inside on top of the rest of the trash. As the lid slammed shut, it made a strange yelping sound, causing Leah to jump back and peer at the trash can lid closely. Was someone in there?

There was another noise, a grunt this time, and Leah realized it was coming from around the side of the building. She followed the source of the noise, tiptoeing to the corner of the building. She peered around the corner warily.

She spotted a familiar stocky frame, her nose curling up automatically in disgust at the sight of Davey. A second later her disgust melted away in anger as she realized he had Embry and Jacob both in a headlock, one boy under each arm. He was dragging them around in a circle as they struggled against his hold, making it impossible for them to get a foothold and pull away from him.

"Let go!" Jake was attempting to get free, flailing his arms. His blows were not making any headway on getting Davey to release them. Embry was using his hands to try and pry Davey's choke hold away from his neck. Leah could swear he was turning slightly blue.

"You tell on me to Miss James again, I'm going to throw you both in the trash," Davey barked at them, still spinning. He came to an abrupt stop mid-turn when he realized he had an audience to his actions.

Leah had stepped away from the corner, her fists clenched at her sides. She didn't know if she was trembling with fear or anger, but seeing him hurting her two friends and with no Miss Chatham to interfere, she was determined to stop Davey's bullying. "Let them go Rogers!" She nearly jumped at the growl in her own voice as she made her demand, her tone punctuating her anger.

"Or what Mudwater? What are you gonna do?" Davey retorted back a smirk on his face. He squeezed his beefy arms around Jake and Embry even tighter.

Leah drew in a shaky breath. She didn't stand up to him all last year when he had taken all her good pencils, broken her fruit scented erasers in half and ruined her best coloring picture by spilling paint all over it before she got a chance to take it home to her Mom. What could she possibly do?

She didn't even think before acting. Leah tucked her head down, brought her fists forward and took a running charge at the boy whose sole purpose was to make everyone else's life miserable.

It may have been the shock of seeing her run at him, but whatever the cause, Davey's grip loosened on Embry and Jake long enough to let the two boys slip free of his grip and take off running. Leah yelled out, "Keep running!", even as she blew past Davey without touching him.

She wasn't stupid enough to actually try to punch Davey Rogers. They may have been the same height, but he was twice her girth and she would have just bounced off him like a rubber ball on a stone wall. However, she had hoped her psych out would work and to her credit it did. Jake and Embry were five paces ahead of her, running towards the part of First Beach that faced the back of the school building.

Leah chanced a glance behind her. Davey's dumbstruck look was quickly replaced by red-mottled anger breaking out on his face as he realized he'd been duped. Within a few seconds of their escape he was after them, but his portly figure was much slower.

Jake and Embry scrambled down the dunes to the beach, Leah catching up and hot on their heels. Their escape was hindered by the fallen driftwood and trees that littered the dunes down to the sand. Once they made it to the sand, they broke out into a sprint. The pounding of the surf swallowed the noise of their shoes as they raced out in the open. Leah glanced behind again to see Davey go tumbling down the beach, tripping over the roots of an exposed stump, landing face first.

"Hide!" Leah called out to the two boys who needed no encouragement to follow her instructions.

"Where?" Embry asked glancing around. There were many trees and stumps they could have hidden around, but they were all small.

"There!" Leah's eyes landed on the largest tree she'd ever seen wash up on the beach outside the school and she pointed to it. The massive tree lying on its side was five times taller than Leah, its thick upturned roots stretching out to the sky above. The top of the tree pointed in their direction and Leah knew that the base of the trunk was hollowed out and at least three times her size. She knew this because the tree had appeared on First Beach just the past summer after a terrible storm and many tourists had taken pictures of themselves standing inside the tree while it remained there.

The three of them scrambled across the trunk and skirted around the roots. Leah felt her clothes snag on an exposed root and heard the rip when she yanked free. Her mother was going to kill her for that, she was positive of it, but only if Davey didn't get to them first.

Jake dove into the trunk of the tree first, Embry jumping up and scrambling in behind him. Leah brought up the rear, the three of them heading deep into the shadows of the back where the sunlight didn't penetrate and the shadows hid whatever critters might be using this hollowed out log as a home.

Eventually the space narrowed to a point where the trio could crawl no further. Leah didn't know if the steady thumping she heard was her heartbeat thudding in fear, or the crash of the surf against the shore. She was crouched in front of Jake and Embry both, trying to shield them with her body. All three had their eyes turned warily towards the entrance of the tree.

Within moments Davey lurched into their view. He stopped at the entrance of the trunk, leaning forward, his beady blue eyes staring down the long length of the dark trunk. Leah stiffened and tried to tuck herself into the smallest ball she could possibly create. It was too much to hope he might go look elsewhere. The tree was just too good of a hiding place.

Davey placed his hands on the edge of the entrance, leaning his body forward into the trunk, still continuing to search the black shadows inside. He squinted into the depths, peering intently at where they were hiding.

Leah stuffed her knuckles into her mouth to keep from crying in fear. She could feel Embry shaking next to her and Jake had his hand over his mouth and nose, as if breathing might give away their hiding spot. They remained very still and quiet, panic rising every moment that Davey lingered in the entrance looking for them.

Leah almost did cry out when he put foot up onto the trunk, lifting himself slightly off the ground. The only thing that stopped her from making noise was Embry grabbing onto her free hand and holding fast to her. It was a reminder that she had to stay quiet for their sake.

Davey heisted on the precipice to the trunk. Leah clutched Embry's hand, his other hand holding on to Jacob's as they all hid there in the dark.

The bully let out a grunt of air and then pushed off, hopping away and back down to the ground before he ever made it up onto the trunk. He gave the trunk one final glance, mingled with a glare before stomping out of his quarry's direct line of sight.

Jacob's suddenly gasp for air in the dark caused Embry to jump and clutch Leah's hand tighter. She squeezed his hand back reassuringly, trying to be the grown up one of all three of them, even though she wanted to start crying herself.

"Is he still out there?" Embry whispered, peering around her.

"I don't know," Leah whispered back. She kept her eyes trained on the spot where Davey had last been seen. Although she was scared, her mind was trying to solve a riddle. The tree was the only logical place the three of them could have hidden. Why hadn't Davey Rogers searched the entire trunk? He had been poised to come inside and would have seen them right away.

"Is he coming back?" Jacob was the one to ask that question.

Leah glanced back at Embry and Jacob, her mind distracted by the fact that Davey hadn't stepped inside the hollowed out trunk where the glare of the sun would not have hidden them from his sight. Even with the clouds overhead, the glare off the ocean made the beach extremely bright and likely interfered with Davey's ability to see in the shadows. Her own eyes had already adjusted to the dark inside the hollow of the tree and she could see Jake's eyes were as wide with fear as Embry's. The last piece of the mystery fell into place as she puzzled it out.

"He's afraid," Leah whispered into the dark. Davey Rogers was afraid of the dark. Why else would he have hesitated to crawl inside the log?

"What?" Jake and Embry were both looking at her like she had grown two heads.

"Davey Rogers is afraid of the dark," Leah felt her confidence coming back as she realized that the one person she was afraid of - had a fear of his own.

"No way," Jake's mouth fell open. "That's dumb."

"No he is. He didn't come in here did he?" Leah retorted to Jacob.

"He didn't see us!"

"Only because he didn't come in here and because he's afraid of the dark!"

"You really think he's afraid of the dark Lee-Lee?" Embry questioned, interrupting the whispered argument going back and forth between the two.

Leah nodded her head. Her fingers moved to drum on her lips, thinking hard and planning. Now that she had something on Davey Rogers, the question was how was she to use it to her advantage?

Embry and Jake both saw the moments her eyes lit up and Leah turned to them saying, "I got it!" She began to whisper frantically to them in the dark.

-WPWPWPWPWPWPWPWP-

Embry crept out of the tree trunk and onto the beach. Davey Rogers was nowhere in sight. He did exactly as Leah instructed him to, creeping around the roots of the tree until he was facing the shore, his back to the trunk. He made his way slowly along the long length, terror easing its way into his throat with every step.

He peered around the stump of a branch, spotting Davey at the driftwood near the school. His heart skipped a beat for a moment. This was the boy who had stolen his new Lion King Key chain the first day of school right off his back pack. And for the past few weeks Embry had to watch as Davey paraded it around on his own book bag. Embry had tried to take it back and Davey had held him down at recess, pushing his face into the dirt and rubbing it in.

"Hey you little bastard!"

Embry snapped out of his memory, into the reality of his living nightmare. Davey had finally spotted him. Embry lurched backwards, taking off running back towards Leah and Jacob. He could easily outrun Davey but that wasn't the plan.

Just past the thick roots of the tree they'd been hiding in, Embry stopped. His legs were shaking again as he turned to watch Davey run around the roots. The hefty boy pulled up short when he saw that Embry was no longer running.

"Where's Mudwater and your friend?" Davey advanced on Embry, his meat paws curled into fists.

"Where you can't see them." Embry glanced up over Davey's head at the top of the roots. Davey turned and looked up as well, squinting in the glare of the sunlight.

Like a trio of jet propelled engines, they all struck at the same time. Leah came from one side of the tree, Jacob from the other and Embry had to tamp down all his fear to the pit of his stomach as he rushed at the boy from the front. They had it timed to a matter of giving Davey only a split second decision as he noticed their attack.

As expected, Davey avoided their attack by jumping up into the tree log. In unison, the trio jumped in after him, forcing him further into the darkness of the trunk.

"What-?" Davey's question was cut off as Jake suddenly let out a loud angry ROAR at the bully, puffing his chest up to look bigger and thumping his fists together. Embry and Leah both recognized it for what it was – Jake trying to channel his best HULK impression yet.

Leah stalked forward, Embry and Jacob mimicking her actions as they pressed closer in, forcing Davey to retreat slightly. It didn't help that Jacob kept up his HULK persona, although Leah would have likened him more to a wild animal, snarling and growling at the first grader.

"Hey Rogers? Do you like it in the dark?" Leah's voice taunted the bully, causing him to stop his retreat, noticing his predicament. They were ten feet from the entrance of the log, swallowed in the depths of the shadows.

She was secretly gleeful to notice his face pale. It had been a gamble to assume he was afraid of the dark, but it seemed her guess had been correct. "Are you afraid of the dark Rogers? The Boogie Man is going to get you!"

"Shut up!" Davey yelled. The three of them advanced even more now that they realized the truth of the bully's own fear.

"The Cold Ones come out in the dark. They're gonna get you Davey!" Jake taunted.

"I see one now behind you!" Leah pointed.

Davey whirled around, eyes wide with fright. "BOO!" Leah shouted to emphasize her point.

Davey screamed. Embry screamed. Jacob let out a wail and over the din inside the tree Leah heard people shouting.

"LEAH?! JAKE?! "

"DAVEY?!"

"EMBRY?!"

"LEAH!"

"DAVE!"

The four children inside the tree stopped all noise immediately upon hearing their names being called. Leah realized what was going on before the other three. Adults were looking for them when they didn't show up to the after school pick up.

"JAKE?!"

"EMBRY?!"

Davey shoved Leah, knocking her into Embry as he rushed out of the tree trunk, falling off the log and onto the sand.

"I see one of them!"

"Davey!"

Leah, Embry and Jake clutched each other's hands as they made their way out of the trunk. When they reached the opening they could see Davey blubbering in his Mom's arms. He was sobbing hysterically and she was making a huge fuss over him.

"You three!"

Leah held her hand up to shield her eyes. Rachel, Rebecca, Joy, Quil, Ms. Chatham, Mr. Poole and the principal Mr. Grayhawk were all approaching them. Joy looked relieved as did the twins and Quil. Ms. Chatham's face was set in a grim line of disappointment. Mr. Poole and Mr. Grayhawk just appeared curious as to why the four kids were found so far away from the school building.

"What are you doing out here? What happened? Why are you four in that tree?"

Leah glanced at Embry and Jake. Would the adults listen to them now?

-WPWPWPWPWPWPWPWPWPWP-

In the end they all got into trouble together. Davey Rogers lied about what happened, claiming the three of them bullied him into the tree. Leah, Jake and Embry had told the truth, but the conflicting tales, along with the fact the three of them were "always sticking up for each other" as Davey put it, had the teachers and principal scratching their heads over which story was the right one.

Leah had felt a swell of pride as Joy defended the three of them until their own mother's showed up to take the mantle. Tiffany Call had almost gotten into a screaming match with Davey's mom about whose son was bullying whom, until Sue Clearwater had stepped in getting both women to calm down.

The final decision from the school was that Davey and Leah had been assigned to write sentences on their behavior. Jake and Embry, too young to write lines were restricted on their recess privileges for three weeks. Leah and Davey were restricted for two weeks.

Leah got a lecture on the way home about the proper decorum of what a young lady's behavior in school should be from her mother. She hung her head, believing her mother thought the worst of her until they got home and Sue grabbed her in a big hug.

"Never stop standing up for yourself and your friends sweetie, I'm proud of you for that," Sue let her go, kneeling down to look at her. "But don't sink to the same level as a bully. You'll end up just like them and so will Jake and Embry if you do that again."

At that point Leah finally let go of the tears she'd been holding in the entire time she was hiding in that tree with Jake and Embry. Just as Davey Rogers went wailing to his mom about his treatment at the hands of his peers, she finally told her mom everything that Davey had put her through the year before including the awful nicknames he had given to her and Embry.

Sue listened to every word she said.

-WPWPWPWPWPWPWPWP-

Within a week the entire school knew about what happened in the tree. Leah was pretty sure Rachel and Rebecca were the parties responsible for spreading the tale. She had even heard that the story had reached the high school because Mr. Poole had teased her about it at drop-off one morning.

She was irritated at first, because even though everyone knew the story, Davey Rogers was still a bully. Nothing had changed. He was going to win and keep on beating up on the other kids. She had accomplished nothing.

But one afternoon Embry came and told Leah that a first grader had come forward to Miss James and tattled on Davey. And then Kim Wilder from his class had spoken up about Davey taking her lunch money. Miss James, confronted with these accusations, started to watch Davey more closely.

Eventually two of the people in Leah's class came forward and told Mr. Grayhawk about their experiences with the first grade bully from the previous year. Mr. Grayhawk called Davey's parents into his office for a Parent/Principal meeting. Nobody really knew what was said at the meeting, but at the same time, everyone knew. Davey Rogers was being placed on school probation. It was unheard of in first grade.

Within a week, Davey's parents had pulled him from the tribal school. Rumors flew that he was attending the public school in Forks, while others said he was being home schooled. Leah didn't care where he was, as long as he wasn't in her school anymore.

In January, when Embry celebrated his sixth birthday, Leah replaced his stolen Lion King Keychain with a small figure of a wolf attached to a ring. "Jake showed me how to make it," she explained to him as she helped him attach it to his book bag.

"Thanks Lee-Lee!" Embry wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her. He had grown an inch in the few months he'd been in school and came up just under her chin.

Leah ruffled Embry's hair. "What are friends for?"


	3. Chapter 3

_2002_

_Look at me. Notice me. I'm right here. Don't you see me?_

Her eyes were locked on Sam Uley. He was standing with his friends Brian and Matt, the three of them laughing by the cookie table. Sam was pretending to throw a basketball at the net over his head in the school gym. He grinned at something Matt said to him.

Leah's heart nearly melted at that grin. Sam was so cute. He had long, raven's wing black, straight hair that brushed his shoulders. He had a natural, athletic tone to his body that the other boys in the junior class were lacking. His smile was always friendly and warm. To the entire female population of the upper school his smile could slay hearts -Leah's included. All the girls had a crush on Sam, but so far he had not indicated any interest in any one of them since the beginning of the school year.

Leah let out a tiny frustrated sigh, tugging on her skirt hem. She thought about going to the bathroom to check her make-up once more. She had been eight times already, not just to check her complexion, but also because it presented her the opportunity to pass by Sam and his friends. She hoped that one of those times he would actually notice her as she walked by them. She started forward, only to halt in her tracks by the thought that Sam might think she had bladder control issues if she was seen walking to the bathroom again.

The school gym was decorated for the dance with cheap party streamers and a few balloons that bounced off the ceiling. The refreshment table was a sturdy, plastic folding table that had a cookie tray and punch bowl sitting on paper doilies to appear festive. It was the same at every dance since Leah joined the high school building two years ago in seventh grade.

A home stereo was set up at one end of the gym, music filtering through the poor quality speakers of the decade old system. Some kids were dancing in the open space of the gym hardwood floors. Other teens were sitting on the bleachers, loitering in groups around the walls or at the cookie table. Leah was standing by herself at the corner of the dance floor. Originally she had Rachel and Rebecca with her, but they had managed to snag dances with two senior boys. Now she stood on her own, watching Sam surreptitiously beneath her lashes.

_Look at me. Look at me. Like me, like I like you._

All the wishing in the world would never turn Sam's head towards her. She was going to be just like all the other girls in the school – heartbroken from anticipation. Another forlorn sigh slipped past her lips.

"Hey Leah!"

Her musings were interrupted as she turned around to see who had greeted her. Instead of looking at Sam, she was faced with three, gawky "tween" boys – the three twerps as Rachel referred to them. Embry, Jake and Quil stood shoulder to shoulder behind her, the three of them as thick as thieves. This was the first time they had been to a school dance, this being their first year in the upper level of the school. Even though they had all come together, driven by Billy Black, the girls had ditched the boys upon entering the gym.

"Hey Jake," Leah addressed him since he had been the one to speak to her first. Jake was grinning from ear to ear. She knew that look. He was up to something, his trademark smirk gave him away. She glanced at Embry stuck in the middle between the two. He was always the quieter one. His ears were bright red, matching the color on his face. His blush was a dead giveaway. Yeah they were definitely up to something.

She looked at Quil who was staring a few inches south of her chin. Her mouth turned down in a frown and she had to squelch the urge to kick his shins. She glared at him instead. Rachel had caught him out in the Black's garage this past summer undressing their old Barbie dolls while the boys were supposed to be cleaning it out. She stared warily at the trio, wondering what they wanted.

The six of them had quit hanging out together just after Leah entered seventh grade. Different schools, different interests and different maturity levels had split their play group into the boys versus the girls. The twins and Leah usually holed up at her house to gossip, try out different hairstyles on each other and trade clothes when they were supposed to be studying. Jake, Embry and Quil had taken over the garage after moving boxes and getting rid of old stuff.

"What do you want Jake?" Leah crossed her arms over her chest. She was going to end up punching Quil if he didn't lift his eyes soon.

_A few minutes earlier…_

"This dance is lame," Jake huffed.

Quil rolled his eyes at Embry who hid a smile by turning his head. The only reason Jake thought the dance was lame is because an eighth grader, Courtney Weaver, turned him down when he asked her to dance. It wasn't like they had anything to compare it to. The elementary school had never held a dance.

They were seated on the bleachers watching the other students. Quil was checking out the older girls, making comments about their appearance, and comparing a few of them to the magazines he had collected in a stash under his mattress. Embry stretched his legs out on the bleacher seat in front of him, leaning back against the seat behind him to study the gym from beneath his lashes. He wasn't really interested in the other students. His eyes sought one particular person.

He saw Leah standing with Rebecca by a corner of the dance floor. She was wearing a lavender print, ruffled blouse with a black skirt. Her shoulder length hair was straight, her bangs brushed to either side of her heart shaped face.

She was so beautiful.

He listened with half an ear as Jake and Quil compared notes on who they might ask to dance. Jake was still sulking over Courtney. He elbowed Quil in the ribs when Quil suggested that he was going to ask Jake's sister Rebecca to dance.

"That's just gross!" Jake made a face at Quil. "That's my sister!"

"Your sister, not mine," Quil retorted. He glanced around the gym, his gaze landing back on Rachel and Leah. His voice turned sly as he said, "I could always ask Leah to dance."

Embry's head whipped around. He glared at Quil. "No," he stated firmly. Quil snickered. Embry's reaction was predictable, which was why he had been teasing him.

"Embry she doesn't even notice you," Jake gestured towards Leah and Rebecca. "And she's .." he seemed at a loss for words. "She's just Leah."

"So you're telling me if she asked you to dance you'd say no?" Quil raised a brow at Jake, calling him out on his three of them had all agreed this past summer that Leah had to be the prettiest girl on the reservation. And they had been lucky enough to see her blossom this past summer when she came over to hang out with the twins.

"She's hot-OUCH!"Quil cast a glare at Embry, and moved his foot out of the way. Embry had punched his leg, the only place he could reach since Quil was sitting on the bleacher seat above and behind him. "That hurt!"

Quil and Jake had discovered that while they might think Leah was just another pretty face, Embry's feelings went much further than that. He had inadvertently revealed it when they were expounding on what they liked best about Leah, and his comments hadn't included just the way she looked and moved.

Embry loved everything about Leah. She liked to present an indifferent exterior, but he knew better. It was when nobody else was watching her that he would see her kindness. She was always thinking about others.

Like last year when she made sure her father took Embry along on a Father's Day fishing trip. Quil, Jake and Seth, along with their dads, had been planning a father-son day out on the lake for weeks. Although Embry would never say it out loud, he had been envious of his friends for having a father to celebrate with. Two days before the trip, Harry Clearwater had called his mom up to ask if he could join them for the day. Embry had been thrilled to be included. He had never dreamed that Leah had put her father up to it.

Seth had been the one to tell him about his sister's insistence that Embry be invited. He was a chatty ten year old, sharing what he had overheard the Friday before the trip. "_Leah was really mad at my Dad for just taking us and not her. She threw a fit. And when he kept saying it was only guys going she said if girls couldn't be there, he had to take you in her place."_

Embry knew, without a doubt in his mind, that she had done it just for him. Leah hadn't been fishing with the guys since Rachel and Rebecca had brainwashed her into thinking it was "_yucky_" and "_gross smelling_". When he had tried to thank her for it afterwards, she had waved her hand dismissively about it like it was no big deal. But Embry hadn't missed the way her eyes sparkled with laughter and her smile seemed warmer directed towards him, as the four boys had regaled her with fishing stories at dinner that night.

"Why don't _you_ ask her to dance?" Jake looked back to the corner of the dance floor, his question addressed to Embry, interrupting the other boy's thoughts on Leah. There was a senior boy currently standing near Leah and his sister, talking to them. The senior's eyes were fastened on Rebecca and he held out his hand to her.

"I think Embry should," Quil's statement sounded more like a challenge than an opinion, "since he crippled me." He rubbed the place where Embry's fist had landed. Embry stuck his tongue out at Quil.

Embry glanced back at Leah. She was standing by herself, her arms crossed around her middle. Her head was tilted, her gaze turned towards the other side of the gym. He followed her line of sight until he came across Sam Uley and his basketball buddies by the refreshment table. His gaze darkened in disapproval and his mouth turned down at the corners.

Leah liked Sam Uley -a lot. Embry knew this. He noticed it every day in the cafeteria for the past few weeks, Leah casting surreptitious glances Sam's way when he wasn't looking. The way she looked at Sam, her dark eyes filled with admiration and longing, Embry was all too familiar with those glances. It was the same look Quil and Jake made fun of him for, when he would look at Leah. Embry worried that one day Sam might take notice of Leah in return.

His chest tightened at the thought.

"You think I won't ask her?" It had to have been the jealousy talking, because those words hadn't just come out of Embry's mouth, had they?

"Nah, you're always too chicken where she's concerned," Quil snickered.

Jake gave Embry a sympathetic shake of his head, agreeing with Quil. "You're all talk Embry but you'll never do anything about it."

They were right, the two of them. Embry was never going to get his chance with Leah if he didn't even try.

"I bet you five bucks each, I'll ask her to dance with me."

Embry felt his palms start to sweat the moment he spoke. The idea of asking Leah to dance terrified and thrilled him at the same time. What if she said no? Worse, what if she said yes and he made a fool out of himself on the dance floor?

"I'll take that bet!" Quil crowed in response. "Easiest five bucks I'll ever make."

Jake shook his head. "Asking is the easy part." He stared at his friend's eyes, gauging Embry's body language. "You'll get five bucks from me, but only if she says yes." He smirked at Embry.

Embry's dark eyes met Jake's, the challenge radiating between the two of them. It wasn't enough to just ask and be rejected. She had to say yes. It would be the happiest day in Embry's life so far if Leah would say yes.

"Done." Embry hoped he sounded confident, because his stomach wasn't agreeing with his bold claim. It was a mess of nerves and knots, making him regret that he ate two of his mom's chicken enchiladas for dinner.

His two best friends looked at him expectantly and Embry realized he was going to have to get his feet moving, if he was going to follow through with his bet. He hitched his body forward, away from the bleacher bench he'd been leaning against, his body automatically rolling up to a standing position.

"This I've got to see." Jake was up after him a moment later with Quil following. The three of them approached Leah. She didn't even notice them coming, her attention on the other side of the gym.

Embry felt his confidence falter. He stopped right behind her, his tongue suddenly stuck to the roof of his mouth, robbing him of the ability to talk. He glanced at his friends. Quil was grinning like a lunatic. Jake nudged him with his elbow, prodding him forward mouthing, '_Go on'_.

In the space of a few heartbeats, Embry could feel his face flushing dull red. As each moment passed, he stared at the straight line of her back trying to muster up the courage he had fooled himself into thinking he had. This was a bad idea. He took a step backward.

"Hey Leah!"

It was Jake who had spoken. He gave another nudge to Embry, this one not gentle, as Leah turned around at the sound of her name. Her dark eyes roved over each of them landing on Jake as she said, "Hey Jake."

She looked at Embry next, both of her perfectly dark brows drawing together in question. Embry found himself still tongue-tied unable to ask the question he so desperately wanted to ask her. Before he could summon up the courage, her eyes drifted to Quil and she scowled at the last boy.

"What do you want Jake?" she asked, her voice slightly impatient.

"Me? Nothing." Jake nudged Embry with more force causing him to stumble forward.

Embry inhaled and exhaled, his question leaving him in a rush that ran together with indistinct words. It sounded something like "_Leuwahnadans_?"

"What?"

Quil snickered at his side.

Embry took another breath, trying to calm his jumpy nerves. He'd asked once – gotten the words out of his mouth, if badly done – but he'd be damned if he was going to mess this up again. Surely it couldn't be that bad the second time around. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Leah, you want to dance?"

He did it! He had done it! Embry's pulse was racing with triumph. He heard Quil's snicker turn into a sigh of regret. There went Quil's lunch money for next week. He didn't turn to look at his friend. His eyes met Leah's, waiting for her answer.

"Yeah sure, I guess," Leah shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

Embry sucked in a breath again, he hadn't been aware he was holding. He felt light-headed in the face of victory. It was a tiny one, and he was highly aware he was more excited about this than she was, but it was a victory nonetheless. He tried to keep his voice nonchalant as he replied, "Cool." He heard a snort from Jake, his best friend knowing he was anything _but_.

Leah turned, walking towards the dance floor. He couldn't help but admire the way she walked, confident in every step. Embry followed behind her, unable to believe the luck that she said yes. When they got to the middle of the dance floor, Leah started shimmying her shoulders, dancing to the beat of the fast song playing, swaying in one place.

Embry stood across from her and mimicked her actions. Whereas Leah had natural rhythm to the song, her hips and body moving to the beat, he felt like his own dancing was jerky and awkward. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.

But Lady Luck was on his side yet again, as the magic that got Leah to agree to dance with him, also ended the fast pace song on the stereo before he made a big fool out of himself. As the music trailed off, the familiar strains of a piano slowed the beat down quite a bit. The melodic voice of Vanessa Carlton's _1000 miles _began to play from the speakers.

Slow dancing – he could do that. Embry stepped in closer towards Leah. He hoped she didn't notice his palms shaking as he placed his hands on her waist. She lifted her hands and put them on either side of his shoulders. Embry was pleased to notice that when he was toe to toe with Leah, they were exactly the same height.

They swayed in place, only turning every few seconds as their feet rocked them back and forth.

_Say something clever to her._

"You look great Leah."

_Not clever enough idiot._

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks." Leah's gaze drifted over his shoulder and Embry looked past her to see Jake smirking at them from the sidelines. Quil was making fun of Embry, batting his eyelashes, pursing his lips and making smooching faces at the two. Embry looked away, red faced.

They continued to sway as the music played. Leah's frame was slightly awkward, her hands loosely clutching his shoulders. Embry wanted to pull Leah in closer to his body, but he was too nervous to actually follow through. He had gotten this far and it was enough for now.

Embry cleared his throat, drawing Leah's gaze back to his. "Are you having a good time tonight?"

He really needed to think of better things to ask. His question was lame, even to his own ears.

Leah shrugged. Her gaze left his and she was staring over his shoulder again. "Kind of," she said after a moment.

Though Embry could take a guess, he turned them in a circle until he could see what had her attention behind him. Sam. _Great. Just great._

They were at an angle where both Leah and Embry could see Sam. The wistful expression on her face told him everything he needed to know. He didn't have a snowball's chance in hell as long as Sam was around. "You like him, don't you?" Embry blurted out before he could stop himself.

Leah's dark eyes swung back to look at him, guilty as charged, her expression going from shock at his question to uncomfortable at being caught staring. It was her turn to be embarrassed, cheeks flushing red. She looked away from Embry, not meeting his gaze. "All the girls like Sam," she uttered, her tone disheartened.

"All the girls aren't you. Sam is stupid if he can't see how special you are."

Had he said that out loud? Crap on toast, he had.

Leah's coffee colored eyes were huge and round as they landed on him again. She stopped swaying in place. Her expression changed from astonishment to solemn and thoughtful as she finally looked at him,_ really looked at him._

Embry stilled. He looked back at her, hoping she would know - that she would understand what he was trying to say – how he felt about her. Their gazes were locked together, the soft music fading away until Embry could only see her. He could feel his heartbeat was erratic, his nerves trembling, as he waited for her to say something back to him.

"Embry, I-"

Whatever her reply was going to be, it was cut short as Leah's head jerked, breaking their eye contact. Her eyes grew enormously big, the only signal Embry had before he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind him. He turned his head.

"May I cut in?"

Sam's deep baritone that demonstrated his status as maturing man was a stark contrast to Embry's higher pitched alto that marked him as a boy whose voice hadn't changed yet. The junior was easily a head taller than both Leah and Embry, his broad-shouldered form dwarfing them. Sam's gaze was centered on Leah, sparing Embry only a single glance, and then back to her as he waited for a reply.

Embry glanced at Leah. Her lips were parted in surprise, her cheeks flushing under her caramel colored skin, and she practically beamed at the interruption. She glanced at Embry, then down to where his arms were at her waist and back up. She removed her arms from his shoulders.

Embry's heart sank. He wanted to dance with Leah. She wanted to dance with Sam. He was everything she wanted, not Embry. Life wasn't fair. He withdrew his hands from her waist. Turning to face Sam, he had to lift his head until he could meet the other boy's dark gaze. "Take care of her," he tried to make his voice sound like a threat, but without the deeper pitch, it was like a dachshund growling at the ankles of a Great Dane.

Sam gave him a brief smile. Embry took a step away, but halted when Leah grabbed his hand to get his attention. He gave her a questioning look.

"Thanks Embry, for being my friend." The smile on her face was genuine gratitude. That smile – it was just for him. It hurt to see it, knowing that he was making her happy but not with him. He managed to nod his head at her, but couldn't bring himself to return the smile just yet. He told himself that it was enough for now, just to see her smile. Sam stepped up into the space he had previously occupied and Embry made his way over the sidelines, turning to look back one more time.

Jake and Quil joined him immediately. They gathered on either side of him as he stood watching Sam and Leah dance, arms wrapped around each other, looking every bit the perfect picture of happiness with each other – especially Leah. Her smile was radiant as she looked up at Sam. She was beautiful. It was worth losing her to Sam, for that – her happiness.

"You okay?" Jake's concern was obvious.

"Want me to hit him over the head with a punch bowl?" Quil offered with an incline of his head at the refreshment table.

Embry shook his head. "Nah. Thanks though Quil." He glanced at his two best friends and gave them a small smile, even though he felt downtrodden. It helped to know that even though Leah would hold his heart, for who knew how long, his friends would always have his back.

Embry's mom picked them all up from the dance. Embry was quiet as he stared out of the passenger side window into the dark of the forest. He was aware of his mom glancing at him as Jake and Quil discussed sports in the backseat. It wasn't until after she had dropped off both boys at their respective houses that Tiffany confronted Embry about his quietness.

"Why so glum, chum? She reached across the car to gently tap him on the nose. It had always been her way of getting his attention when he wasn't talking. Embry turned his head to his mom.

"I'm not glum," he told her before turning his head to look out of the window, his chin in his palm, his elbow on the car door handle.

"Which is why you're staring out the window and frowning. You barely spoke to Jake or Quil when they got out of the car. You look like your world ended kiddo," Tiffany's voice was full of concern. "Did something happen at the dance?"

She waited. Embry was silent for several minutes - that was just his way of dealing with things - before he finally asked, "Mom what would you do if the girl you want to be your girlfriend, likes someone else?"

Tiffany's hands tightened on the wheel, the only indication that her son's question perturbed her. When had her son reached _that_ age? It felt like only yesterday she was changing his diapers and soothing his tears as he cut a new tooth. Now he was only a few weeks away from his thirteenth birthday and he was asking about girls. Where did the time go?

"Mom?"

Embry was looking at her for an answer. She'd been quiet too long. Signaling a right turn, Tiffany apologized, "Sorry sweetie, I was trying to figure out which girl I like best to consider making her my girlfriend."

"Mo-om!" Embry groaned in embarrassment but she could see his lips twitching as he tried not to laugh at her joke.

Tiffany grinned. She completed the turn and reached out a hand to ruffle the front of Embry's hair, pushing it back off his face. It was getting long and shaggy. She really needed to give him a haircut. "Well, I suppose I'd be sad, but if the person I liked was happy with someone else, then I'd be happy for them."

"Yeah," Embry agreed shaking his head to set his hair back into place – hanging low over his eyes. His mom didn't like it that way, but he did.

"It's the mature thing to do," Tiffany stated. She made another turn, pulling onto their street. Their house was down towards the end, identical to all the other tiny homes that were part of the government housing assistance program. "But if we need to kick someone's butt kiddo, let me know who it is and we can go do it together."

Embry groaned again, burying his face in his hands. "Seriously Mom, who does that? Who offers to go beat up people for their children?"

Tiffany laughed. "The cool moms do it, that's who." She pulled into the driveway, threw the gear into park and shut the van off. Turning to face him she said, "You're growing up sweetie -turning thirteen, having a crush on a girl, getting a dirt bike – it's all happening so fast. How am I going to keep up with you?" She let out a tiny sigh, even as she waited for him to catch up to what she said.

"Mom, it's–" She could see the moment her words hit him as Embry's dark eyes widened. "Dirt bike? What dirt bike?"

Trying and failing to look nonchalant, Tiffany could feel the grin break on her lips as she said, "Remember my cousin Adam who rides motor cross?" When Embry nodded his head she continued, "He got a new bike and asked me if you'd be interested in having his old one. It's a little beat up kiddo, but he said he'd give us some manuals so that you can keep it tuned and running." She tilted her head, already seeing the excitement building in Embry at the mention of the bike. "What do you say? Think you'd be interested?"

"Yea-ah!" Embry managed to stretch the word into two syllables while he leapt in his seat. His seat belt t was the only thing that kept him from hitting his head on the roof. "Seriously Mom? SERIOUSLY?" She could hear the disbelief in his voice.

"Well there are going to be some rules we need to go over," Tiffany held up her hand, halting some of his excitement. "And you're going to have to take some lessons on how to handle the bike from Adam. Until he says you're clear to ride on your own, you won't be taking it out unsupervised, got it?"

Embry nodded his head vigorously. "Got it!" He unsnapped his seatbelt and threw open the car door. "I can't believe I'm getting a dirt bike! Wait until I tell Jake!" He slammed the door shut, heading for the house. It seemed the melancholy of his broken crush had been defeated by the excitement of the bike.

Tiffany sat in the car a moment, smiling and watching as Embry used his own key to get into the house. Dirt bikes and girls – where did her baby boy go?

**A/N: This chapter was hard to write for one reason. I love Leah and so I hated giving her over to Sam, knowing he'll break her heart eventually. Credit for Quil's offer to hit Sam over the head with a punch bowl goes to Lolabean who offered to do it for me. Anyone else who wants to punch (bowl) Sam, please sign the petition. Maybe I should write in a future chapter. LOL!**


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